CTE New Teacher Institute Forum: Slow It Down

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FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).

This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!

Blog Post - Week 7

This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6

For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5

This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4

Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3

Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2

Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1

Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Slow It Down

I teach a blended schedule, which means that I teach some classes year long and some for only a semester. One of the reasons that I do not like the block semester classes is that the content is complicated and I can't force feed it for an hour and forty-five minutes every day. It's too much and the students zone out and are easily overwhelmed. This is coupled with the need to teach all the standards in the 18 weeks alotted. The students feel overwhelmed with my pace and I feel like the end of the semester is fast approaching and I've got a lot more material to cover. This week, I wish I could have a do-over with the rate in which I covered one of our units. I'm pushing them along and they are not understanding it like they need to. Some of them will be able to memorize the material for a test but only a few are going to walk away with real comprehension. If I could change something this week, I would slow down my instruction. Maybe I wouldn't get to every standard, but at least I would know that whatever standards they were exposed to they truly understood.

1 comment:

Unknown said...: I have a block schedule too. One day I have four classes. Then the next day, I have a different four classes. It is not to bad every other day :) I had planned to be in the classroom on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday we would work in the lab. If you got to be the lucky one and be in here on Friday then the students would get a service day. I have changed it, thanks to Dr. M. We have classroom for 30 minutes and then lab for an hour. Friday is still a service day.; November 8, 2012 at 11:33:00 AM EST